At 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, James is a speedy back that takes
pride in his versatility. At first glance, James' size may seem more adept for
finesse, but Mark Latsko, his coach at Gainesville (Fla.) High, told The
Oregonian that's not the case.

"This is my first year at Gainesville High and the
previous coach used him on end-arounds. I used him in I-formations and he runs
tough between the tackles," Latsko said. "I think that was a knock on
him that he couldn't run between the tackles but he does a great job in those
gaps."

James sees himself as a hybrid runner, someone who has
top-end speed -- he runs a 4.3 40-yard dash -- but isn't afraid to bruise. He
said he's idolized players like LaMichael James and De'Anthony Thomas, and more
recently, Percy Harvin, who highlighted the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl win
with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

"It's my type of style," James said. "In
(Oregon's) speed spread offense, you hit it, get your points fast and get off
the field."

James knows he'll have plenty of competition once he gets to
Eugene. Standout running back Royce Freeman has committed to the Ducks and both
will join a backfield that already includes Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner.
The depth the Ducks field at running back has actually been a plus for James,
who said he's excited to compete for playing time against such a talented
field.

"I see them all as competition. It's basically the best
guy gets the playing time," he said. "If you get it, you get it. If
you don't, you don't."

If James falls into the "you don't" category,
he'll still be ready for action. During James' official visit to Eugene, he
watched as the Ducks demolished California in the pouring rain. In that game,
Thomas went down with an injury. James was enticed by how Oregon reacted.

"Usually when a good player goes out everyone's like,
'Oh man.' But when (Thomas) went down the other guys stepped up," he
said.

James still has work to do before he'll be ready for
competition. He's getting his cast taken off on Thursday and will still need
surgery to remove the screws in his leg. If rehabilitation goes smoothly, James
said he's expected to be able to resume workouts by March.

James said Campbell told him they'll continue to look at the
ankle next fall. It was some of the best news he's heard this year.